The Lost Diamond of Nathaniel Flint
by Jedi of Light
Summary: Kim and Jim's ideal future never occurred.  Now, years later, they've got to team up again to find the treasure of the millennium: Flint's Heart, an enormous diamond that exists only in legend.  Or does it?   Rated T for some language nothing obscene.
1. Prologue

Author's note: Yes, kiddies, the sequel is finally beginning. This'll be the only disclaimer, so listen up. I don't own any of the Treasure Planet characters; they belong to the wonderful folks at Disney. I DO own the character of Kim, as well as the plot. The story will be edited by TreasurePlanetFreak, who has kindly offered to do so.

Can't guarantee updates on a regular basis; a lot of it depends on when I'll have time to write.

Enjoy! Feel free to leave comments and/or criticism!

* * *

For a few months, life passed like a dream. Kim and Jim trained together, hung out together…after a few weeks, it was rare to see one without the other. They'd become best friends, and everyone knew it.

But then the dream ended.

It began on a bright, clear Thursday morning, as Kim and Jim set out to return to the Academy from a visit with Jim's mother. Kim sent out her mental call to be picked up…and nothing happened. They waited on the side of the road for six hours before returning to the Benbow Inn for the night. Jim walked Kim to her room.

"I don't understand!" she fretted, turning to him. "They've never not answered before!"

"Maybe the equipment went down," Jim shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be all right."

Kim deflated. "You're right." She gave him a warm smile. "Night, Jim."

He smiled back at her. "Night." With a wave, he turned and went to his own room.

When B.E.N. went to find Kim and alert her that breakfast was ready, the robot found an empty room, the bed's covers arranged as if she'd vanished from underneath them during the night.

Jim waited anxiously to hear from her or from the Academy.

Waited a day.

The day turned into a week.

The weeks turned to months.

Two years passed by. Jim had gone to the Naval Academy of Montressor, had seen John Silver again several times, had to explain Kim's absence and abandon, had a brief romance with a girl in his class, had celebrated his nineteenth birthday, and had given up hope of seeing the girl he'd once traveled to the edge of the galaxy with ever again.

There'd been a lot of solar surfing escapades where he flew as fast and as far as he could to try and leave behind the anger and hurt. He'd been abandoned. Again. By someone he cared about. His head knew there could be a reasonable explanation, but his heart hurt all the same. It was hard, past the superficial fury, to remember that he cared about his friend at all.

Life went on, though. He grew and matured much the same way he would have normally. He lived the life he'd expected and eventually forgot much of the life that had presented itself.

Until one night when that life came crashing back into his world.


	2. Separate Lives, Different People

"Really, Amelia, the children will be fine," Dr. Doppler said, trying to smooth his wife's ruffled fur. "Maybelline has watched them for us before, and they were right as rain when we got back."

Amelia shot him a glare across the table. "Maybelline is an irrational, half-witted, shallow excuse for a Geordian."

Ms. Hawkins sighed, catching the end of their conversation, and brought over their food. "I've told you; I wouldn't mind watching them for you now and again."

"Don't be ridiculous, dear," Amelia reprimanded her with a smile. "You have an inn to run."

"Well, then," Ms. Hawkins said, sitting down, "Jim could watch them, now that he's on summer holiday. Wouldn't you, Jim?"

A young man with broad shoulders, a deeper voice, and the same blue eyes brought over two more plates of food and sat down beside his mother with a smile. "It'd be no problem, Doc, Miz Doppler."

Amelia gave him a smile over her plate of tuna and riah pasta. "Thank you, Jim."

"So," Doppler said, fanning the odor of his food towards his nose in his usual pre-eating ritual, "Have you found a college to attend yet?"

"I'm still looking, Doc," Jim replied, leaning back casually. "I've got a good idea of where I want to apply, though."

"He'll get in wherever he wants," Ms. Hawkins said fondly, reaching up to ruffle her son's hair. "His grades practically guarantee acceptance."

"That doesn't surprise me a bit," Amelia laughed.

The four were interrupted by a soft knocking at the door.

"I'll get it," Jim offered, placing a hand on his mother's arm to prevent her from getting up, and headed into the living room.

He peeked out the peep-hole, but the evening masked all but a general outline of the figure in the entryway. He shrugged and opened the door.

Hazel eyes – once green – met blue, and widened.

"…Jim?"

Jim took an involuntary step backwards, stunned into silence. For almost a minute, the two just stared at each other. Jim blinked, and finally spoke in a flat deadpan.

"…Kim."

It was as if the world had gone deaf. The three adults at the table looked towards the doorway instantaneously. Ms. Hawkins rose and practically flew to her son's side, a smile spreading across her face. "Kim, dear! Please, come in!"

"Thank you," the young woman said softly, walking into the Inn. With a graceful swirl, she hung up her cloak on the hook. When she turned around again, her visual hit Jim like a blast from a laser cannon.

It was the same curly brown hair, perhaps a bit shorter. The simple blouse and pants she wore nicely accented a curvier, more toned body than he remembered. Her face was longer, and her eyes had morphed into a hazel, still green, but with brown in them, too.

He was torn between hating her and wanting to hug her.

"Kim…" he exhaled again.

A small smile spread across her face for the first time. "No…I go by 'Kimberly' now," she corrected him softly.

The smile didn't reach Jim's face, though. "I'll bring out some water," he replied with the same, horribly flat voice, and turned his back on her, striding to the kitchen.

Kimberly let her eyes drop in shame. She knew he'd react this way, and she honestly couldn't blame him. Ms. Hawkins put a hand on her shoulder. "Come sit, dear. Tell us what happened."

Bless her, Kimberly thought, walking with the matron back to the dinner table. The Dopplers stifled expressions of surprise, assuming – correctly – that Kimberly would explain herself.

Ms. Hawkins sat Kimberly between herself and Amelia. Jim returned, his face wiped of emotion, and set down a glass of water in front of his old friend. Then he sat next to his mother, and waited to have his waiting explained.

Kimberly took a breath, then looked up and locked eyes with Jim. "…I'm sorry." She looked around the table. "I owe all of you an apology…and I can explain."

A pause.

Amelia spoke up. "Go ahead," she encouraged her, surprisingly sincere.

Kimberly nodded with a grateful smile and continued.

"Halfway through the night, I heard this 'pop' and when I opened my eyes, I was home." She held up a hand as Jim started angrily. "Not at the Jedi Academy. I mean…my own home. My house…and my family…" She looked over at him, jaw set. "I haven't heard from the Academy any more than you have. So don't you DARE assume that I forgot about you."

There was much more fire in her than he remembered.

She continued. "I grew up." Shaking her head with a self-chiding smile, she explained, "I lived the life I would have lived if I'd never met any of you. I went to a military academy, and graduated High School…and…if I'm honest…I forgot." Kimberly wanted to look at the table so badly – it wasn't going to glare at her – but she kept her chin high and her back straight. "Then, a few days ago, I ran across my old diary.

And I remembered.

I suppose that was all it took. I heard the same popping noise and found myself at the Montressor spaceport. I hitchhiked over here…because I knew I owed you all an explanation.

And here I am."

Jim's head was in a daze, though each of her words rang through like a bell.

She hadn't willfully left him behind.

She'd been looking for him.

And he could barely remember the sound of her voice.

This girl – no, this woman – was a stranger to him. Two years had changed both of them into new people. He could still see the Kim he'd known, but Kimberly…she was downright intimidating. What if she didn't want to get to know him again? She'd obviously moved on with life, as he had; what if this was the last goodbye?

Jim needed to think. He stood, turned his back on Kimberly, and walked out for a long sit on the roof. But he could feel her eyes on him as he left.

Let her wait to talk to him. He'd definitely waited long enough to see her.

They were two different people now. Two years of what could have been had been lost. Only more time would let them reconnect.

But not tonight. Not right away. First, he needed to convince himself all this was real.

Watching the door close, Kim felt the same way.


	3. Friends?

Ms. Hawkins winced as Jim closed the door a bit harder than he should have. "Well, dear…" she murmured, turning to Kimberly, "This is a bit of a shock for him. For all of us, really."

Kimberly nodded somberly. "I know; I'm sorry."

"Quite all right," Dr. Doppler assured her with a gentle smile. "You couldn't have helped it any more than we could have." Even his wife looked mollified.

She couldn't quite ignore the pang in her stomach, though, and dropped her gaze to the table. Ms. Hawkins decided she'd had quite enough of seeing the girl berate herself over something out of her control, and stood up with a snap of her fingers. "You must be hungry. Let me get you something to eat!" Before Kim could voice her protest, Ms. Hawkins had already bustled off to the kitchen, feeling cheerful over the fact that she could act like a mother to the young lady again.

Kimberly smiled and shook her head.

"Let her have her fun," Amelia purred, resuming her meal. "It's been a while since she's gotten to be a mother."

A smile curled across Kimberly's face. "Speaking of which: how old are your little ones now?"

Amelia puffed up proudly. "They're all turning three two months from now." Dr. Doppler began digging around in his wallet and pulled out a small holographic picture, which displayed a small group of four children, three of which clearly took after their mother and one with distinct canine features.

_She must have a litter at a time, like a real cat,_ Kimberly thought to herself, ooh-ing and aah-ing over the adorable kittens. "They're all so cute!"

Both parents beamed. Ms. Hawkins came back through the swinging kitchen doors, carrying a bowl of hot stew, which she proudly placed in front of Kimberly.

"Thank you so much!" the young lady thanked her gratefully, feeling her stomach churn in anticipation.

Ms. Hawkins gave her a warm smile. "It's no trouble. I've missed having you around."

Kimberly felt her heart give a wrench yet again. "I've missed being here," she said softly, returning Ms. Hawkins' smile.

Ms. Hawkins reached over to smooth her hair a little. "Well, you're back now, dear."

"Have you given any thought to where you're going to stay while you're here?" Doppler asked inquisitively.

Kimberly shook her head. "Since I'm old enough, I assumed that I'd find work somewhere."

Amelia's eyes gleamed as she leaned in a little, much like a cat eyeing a mouse. "Have you ever babysat before?"

"Yes," Kimberly replied, a bit taken aback. "Several times."

"Do you like children?"

"Yeeees…" Where was this going?

Amelia sat up straight, a grin spreading across her face. "How would you like to stay at our house and watch the children? Not a full-time job, mind you, children need their mother, but to help with dinner and the like?"

Kimberly smiled. "I'd love to!"

Doppler looked skyward. "Thank you!" he said with feeling, making Kimberly giggle.

With that, Doppler launched into a detailed description of exactly what all of his children were like, and which ones had a penchant for science, and the color of their hair – all the things a father was prone to boast about. Kimberly listened with one ear, but the other was tuned towards the roof.

* * *

There. A shooting star.

Jim wished that he'd handled this whole thing better. He sighed and moved away from the skylight, where he'd been listening to the conversation below, and, resting his head on his arms, his back supported by the smooth roof tiles, gazed up and out into space.

There was no reason to have reacted the way he did. It was stupid and immature. It was just Kim, for Orion's sake! Sure, she'd changed, but so had he! Just because they were two years older didn't mean they couldn't still be friends!

He sighed again. They couldn't just pick up where they'd left off, he knew that. But…they could begin again. He could invite her solar surfing…that'd be a good way to catch up…

The bell that he'd rigged up to the rooftop rang. His mother was calling him back inside. Jim stood up and shimmied down the drainpipe with a practiced ease. He paused for a moment with his hand on the door handle, feeling a little nervous, but pushed it aside and came in.

His mother greeted him with a smile. "Jim, would you mind entertaining Kimberly for a moment? The Dopplers and I are going to arrange travel and who gets her what day of the week," she finished with a wink.

Jim rubbed the back of his head slightly awkwardly. "Sure; I mean, not at all…uh…" Damn his nerves! "Kimberly?"

Kimberly stood up with a smile and walked over to him. "Want to go wait outside?" she asked.

She'd gotten bolder, too. "Sure," he replied, straightening up and leading the way outside. Jim politely opened the door for her and made a little, teasing bow.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," she murmured, a twinkle in her eye.

Maybe it wouldn't be as hard to pick up as he'd thought. "My pleasure, gentle lady," he replied with a roguish grin. "To the rooftop?"

"To the rooftop," she agreed happily.

A few shuffles later, they were sitting side by side on the roof.

Kimberly considered a moment. "Hey, Jim…?"

"I'm sorry."

She looked over at him in surprise.

Jim met her gaze this time. "I was…wrong to react like I did. I guess…I was just a little freaked out."

"I know the feeling," she replied with a small smile. "It's weird. The last time I saw you was over two years ago. I feel like I've grown so old since then!"

Jim laughed. "Yeah; 'I know the feeling!'"

The two laughed, and then quieted. Kimberly considered again. "Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to be friends again?"

His smile reached all the way to her stomach, giving her butterflies. "Yeah."

She smiled back at him. "Good."

"Want to come solar surfing tomorrow?"

Kimberly looked at him in surprise. "You're not busy with anything?"

"It's the holidays. Besides, I haven't been surfing in ages. I'm way overdue for some fun."

"Then sure; I'd love to!" she agreed, her eyes sparkling. "I should warn you, though; you might have to re-teach me."

Jim waved it off. "No problem. So, tomorrow at…?"

"I'll have to check with the Dopplers. Probably some time in the afternoon, since Ms. Amelia will probably want help with dinner."

"You can have her at two o'clock, Mr. Hawkins," Amelia called up, startling them. "And I expect her back no later than five thirty. Clear?"

"Crystal, Ma'am," Jim called back. "Time to head back down, I 'spose."

Kimberly nodded and slid cautiously down the drainpipe, Jim following confidently behind. The Dopplers were waiting by their carriage, and Ms. Hawkins stood in the doorway to see them off.

"See you tomorrow, then!" Kimberly called to Jim with a cheerful wave, climbing in next to Amelia.

"Count on it!" he called back with a returning wave.

Dr. Doppler allowed himself a smile before clucking the reins and beginning the drive home. Kimberly waved back at Jim and his mother, who both returned the wave.

"Did you two get things straightened out?" Ms. Hawkins inquired softly.

"Yeah, I think we did," Jim replied, smiling at the distancing carriage.

Ms. Hawkins put a hand on her son's shoulder. "I know it's…hard, to reconnect with someone after being gone for such a long time."

"I think it'll work out, though," Jim replied with a reassuring smile.

"I had a hunch it might." Ms. Hawkins hid a smile. "She's grown into a very beautiful young woman, hasn't she?"

Jim turned slightly red. "…Yeah…I guess…"

"You, my handsome little solar surfer, have nothing to worry about," she laughed, mussing his hair. "Now come help me clean up."

Jim looked out at the road and smiled, then headed in, his step surprisingly light.

Tomorrow would definitely be fun.

* * *

Back at the Doppler's, Kimberly was in awe.

"Your house is so BIG!"

Amelia beamed. "It is rather spacious, isn't it?"

"Our family's rather spacious, too, dear," Dr. Doppler murmured over his wife's shoulder, making her blush. To Kimberly, he said, "We have a spare bedroom upstairs that you can use. It's quite comfortable."

"Thank you, sir," she replied with a smile.

"You'll meet the children in the morning," Amelia explained. "They were asleep when we left…"

"Quite all right." Kimberly gave a light shrug. "Kids need their sleep."

The Dopplers exchanged looks and nodded in intense agreement.

Looks like I came in the nick of time, Kimberly thought with an internal grin.

The couple led her to her room, and bade her goodnight, after also dropping off some of Amelia's clothes for her to borrow.

Kimberly changed into a nightshirt and crawled into the padded hammock-bed, which, while unusual, was undeniably soft and comfortable.

Through half-closed eyes, she saw a star arc across the night sky. Strange...it wasn't the sky she was used to seeing...but it was so comforting, too...

She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Home.


End file.
